WCOA
A champion of ophthalmic anesthesia as a niche sub specialty and a key innovator in his field works his way up to the top slot!
It was yet another glorious feather in the proud cap of Dr VV. Jaichandran, Sankara Nethralaya’s senior ophthalmic anesthesiologist for whom winning accolades and honours at every national and international meet in his niche field that he attends has become a habit. An insightful talk titled ‘Retained Visual Sensations during Eye surgery’ delivered by him won great reviews and appreciation by the distinguished global audience at the 5th World Congress of Ophthalmic Anesthesia (WCOA), held at Jakarta, Indonesia on the 7th & 8th of February 2020. It was a glorious moment for a man who has been actively innovating newer techniques for both teaching and practicing regional blocks, when his E-Poster titled ‘Mannequin based training of ophthalmic anesthesia’ was adjudged as the ‘First Runner up’, at the prestigious international meet. It was a glorious hat-trick for the expert whose well researched papers had won the ‘Best Free Paper’ award at the 3rd WCOA in year 2012 at Turkey and the 1st and 2nd best free paper awards at the 4th WCOA held at Chennai in year 2016.
It was a wonderful example of the wheel having gone a full circle when Dr VV.Jaichandran who as a pioneer and champion of ophthalmic anesthesia in the country had contributed greatly to its recognition and growth as a critical sub specialty, was elected unopposed as the ‘International President of the World Congress of Ophthalmic Anesthesia’ (WCOA), the global body and umbrella organization engaged in the development, research, exchange of best practices and administration of this field, for the period 2020-24. It was a most befitting acknowledgment and honour coming in a year considered significant for the field of ophthalmology for the man who had been in the forefront of making the dream and vision of living legend Dr SS.Badrinath, to find a rightful and well deserved place for ophthalmic anesthesia and developing it further, a reality. A great moment for the man who pioneered the revolutionary ophthalmic anesthesia simulator and was the Chief Editor of a first of its kind textbook on the niche topic titled ‘Textbook in Ophthalmic Anesthesia’ with a ‘Foreword’ by Dr SS.Badrinath launched in year 2017 and a practitioner of anesthesiology who was passionately involved in forming a professional national body for ophthalmic anesthesiologists.
It is a great honour for an institution which is credited with having sown the seeds for the recognition and growth of ophthalmic anesthesia as a critical sub-specialty through the contributions of its veterans like Dr VG Appukutty and Dr Ian Sundararajan, that its senior anesthesiologist has been honoured with the highest position in the world of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia.
The Sankara Nethralaya family expresses its hearty Congratulations to Dr VV.Jaichandran its champion and pioneering anesthesiologist and wishes him a glorious and most productive innings as World President of the ‘World Congress of Ophthalmic Anaesthelogists’ (WCOA) the most coveted professional body. We are highly proud of you Doctor!!
The Pioneer in Ophthalmic Anaesthesia conducts key topical meet with great aplomb
As an eye care institution which can take justifiable pride in its stellar role in identifying ophthalmic Anaesthesia as a specialized field and developing it as a niche specialty in India, Sankara Nethralaya was honoured to conduct the specialty’s key annual meet, the ‘World Congress of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia’ (WCOA) in collaboration with the apex body for ophthalmic anaesthesia, the ‘British ophthalmic Anaesthesia Society’ (BOAS) at Chennai. The curtains went up on the 4th WCOA at the Sri V.D. Swami Auditorium at the Sankara Nethralaya main campus on the 2nd of September 2016, the prelude to the event helped Dr V.V. Jaichandran, Chief Organizing Secretary from the host institution give a brief on the WCOA and the objectives of its 4th edition to be held in Chennai in the following two days to the media and to the large gathering assembled on the occasion.
The two day scientific session opened on the 3rd of September 2016 to a packed conference hall at the ITC Grand Chola, a total of 10 national and 25 international faculty members registered for the event and the attendees comprising ophthalmologists, optometrists and anaesthetists were from across the world. The two day session was addressed by eminent professionals from diverse backgrounds and specializations; they were of a highly interactive nature and evoked lively debates and discussions. The sub-tenon’s workshop using goat’s eye and hands on practice simulation won high appreciation as a great learning experience. A riveting audio visual presentation on effective administration of anaesthesia to animals consisting of domestic pets like dogs, cats and birds to large wild animals like the lion, for performing various ophthalmic processes, by Prof Ramani from the Madras Veterinary College held the audience in total fascination. The presenter expressed her thanks to Dr. SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and Dr. Lingam Gopal, Senior Consultant, Sankara Nethralaya for their invaluable inputs in setting up the operation theatre at the veterinary college many years ago.
Dr.M.Janani from the Sankara Nethralaya referral laboratory and Mr. Nimal Kumar from the IIT-Madras won the 1st and 2nd prize in the ‘Free Paper Presentation’, it is noteworthy to mention here that both the papers were co-authored by Dr.V.V.Jaichandran, Senior Anaesthesiologist, Sankara Nethralaya and Chief Organizing Secretary of the highly successful WCOA-2016.